At any time during the taking of the deposition, on motion of a party or of the deponent and upon a showing that the examination is being conducted in bad faith or in such manner as unreasonably to annoy, embarrass, or oppress the deponent or party, the court in which the action is pending may order the officer conducting the examination to cease forthwith from taking the deposition, or may limit the scope and manner of the taking of the deposition as provided in Article 1426. If the order made terminates the examination, it shall be resumed thereafter only upon the order of the court. Upon demand of the objecting party or deponent, the taking of the deposition shall be suspended for the time necessary to make a motion for an order. The provisions of Article 1469 apply to the award of expenses incurred in relation to the motion.
Art. 1444.Motion to Terminate; Limit Examination
Book II. Ordinary Proceedings · Title III. Production of Evidence · Chapter 3. Discovery · Enacted 1976 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 1444 lets a party or the deponent stop or narrow an oral deposition mid-session by moving the court for an order when the examination is being conducted in bad faith or in a way that unreasonably annoys, embarrasses, or oppresses the witness or a party.
Full Text of Art. 1444
Amendment History
Acts 1976, No. 574, §1.
Plain-English Summary
A deposition can go wrong while it is happening, and Article 1444 gives the people in the room a way to stop it without waiting for a later motion. If the party or the deponent can show that the examination is being conducted in bad faith, or in a manner that unreasonably annoys, embarrasses, or oppresses the witness or a party, the court where the case is pending can order the officer conducting the deposition to stop entirely, or can limit the scope and manner of the examination under the standards of Article 1426.
The article builds in a practical pause button. Once the objecting party or deponent demands it, the deposition is suspended for whatever time it takes to bring the motion before the court — nobody has to keep answering questions while the request for relief is pending. If the court's order terminates the examination outright rather than just limiting it, the deposition can only start back up again by a further order of the court.
Expenses connected to this kind of motion are handled the same way they are for other discovery disputes: Article 1469 governs the award of expenses incurred in bringing or opposing the motion, so the party on the losing end of a bad-faith or oppressive examination dispute may end up covering the other side's costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you stop a deposition on the spot if it turns abusive?
Yes. Article 1444 lets a party or the deponent move the court to terminate or limit the examination on a showing that it is being conducted in bad faith or in a way that unreasonably annoys, embarrasses, or oppresses the witness or a party.
What happens to the deposition while the motion is pending?
Upon the objecting party's or deponent's demand, the taking of the deposition is suspended for the time necessary to bring the motion before the court.
Can a terminated deposition be resumed later?
Only by order of the court. Once an order terminates the examination, the deposition can start again only if the court directs it.
Who pays the costs of an Article 1444 motion?
The award of expenses is governed by Article 1469, the general discovery-motion expense provision, so the outcome depends on how the court applies that standard to the circumstances.
Source & verification. Article text is reproduced verbatim from
the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure (legis.la.gov). Enacted by the Louisiana Legislature.
Last verified July 30, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: stop an oppressive deposition Louisianamotion to terminate deposition Louisianalimit scope of deposition Louisianaabusive deposition Louisiana remedyArticle 1444 Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure